Team India’s preparation for the England series was affected by an injury sustained by opener Shubman Gill a few days ago.
Gill will most likely fly back home, with two shin splints, and will be out of action for 8 weeks.
As a result, he will most probably miss the entire England Test series.
At the same time, there have been reports that Team India have demanded Prithvi Shaw’s inclusion for the injured Gill.
Reports suggest that Virat Kohli is eager to acquire the services of Shaw, who wasn’t selected for the Test squad for the WTC final or the England series.
Currently, Shaw is in Sri Lanka with the Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian team, for a limited-overs tour from July 13.
Kapil’s criticism
Kapil Dev has come out strongly against the possibility of Shaw’s inclusion.
His rationale is quite clear.
“I don’t think there is any need for it. There should be some respect for the selectors too. They have picked a team and I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened without their (Shastri and Kohli) consultation.”
“You have two such big-opening batsmen in KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. Do you really need a third option?,” Kapil countered.
Kapil added, “I’m not convinced with this theory. The team that they’ve picked already has openers so I think they should be the ones to play.”
“Otherwise, it’s insulting for the players who are already in the team.”
Kapil Dev also has strong views about the team management interfering in the selection policy.
“I want that the captain and the management should have a say, but not at the expense of over-ruling the selectors and say that ‘these are the players we need’.”
“In that case, we don’t even need selectors.”
We think Kapil Dev has a point.
Though Shaw is a talented batter, it’s important to trust the players already chosen.
